coup

¹

[koo]

noun

plural

coups 

1. a highly successful, unexpected stroke, act, or move; a clever action or accomplishment.

2. (among the Plains Indians of North America) a brave or reckless deed performed in battle by a single warrior, as touching or striking an enemy warrior without sustaining injury oneself.

3. coup d'état.

coup

²

[kohp, koop]

verb (used with or without object)

Scot.

1. to overturn; upset.

coup

¹

/ kuː /

noun

1. a brilliant and successful stroke or action

2. short for coup d'état

coup

²

/ kaʊp /

verb

1. to turn or fall over

noun

1. a rubbish tip

coup

³

/ kaʊp /

verb

1. to barter; traffic; deal

coup

1. In politics, an abbreviation for coup d'état.

Word History and Origins

Origin of coup¹

First recorded in 1640–50; from French: literally, “a blow, stroke,” Old French colp, from Late Latin colpus, from Latin colaphus, from Greek kólaphos

Origin of coup²

First recorded in 1350–1400; likely originally a variant of cope

Word History and Origins

Origin of coup¹

C18: from French: blow, from Latin colaphus blow with the fist, from Greek kolaphos

Origin of coup²

C15: perhaps identical with obsolete cope to strike; see _cope ¹

Origin of coup³

C14: from Old Norse kaupa to buy

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. count coup, (among Plains Indians of North America)

   1. to perform a coup.

   2. to recount or relate the coups one has performed.

Example Sentences

But the uncertainty may not be over for Thailand which has seen multiple administrations deposed by court interventions and military coups in the recent past.

From BBC

At the same time, Armani pulled off a huge marketing coup.

From BBC

He said the star was a "massive coup" for the live music venue.

From BBC

He and seven other defendants who worked closely with him in government face five counts, all related to attempting a coup.

From BBC

At the same time, he reiterated his view that "this crisis wasn't triggered by Russia's attack on Ukraine, but was a result of a coup in Ukraine, which was supported and provoked by the West".

From BBC

Related Words

• action 
• overthrow 
• plot 
• revolution 

When To Use

Why is coup trending?

On January 6, 2021, interest in the word coup spiked—corresponding with a 962% increase in search interest on Dictionary.com—after a mob of supporters of Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol building on the day Congress was set to certify the electoral vote count to confirm Joe Biden’s presidential election victory. Some journalists, political analysts, and politicians used the word coup to describe the events that occurred at the nation’s capitol.The word coup, in this context, is short for coup d’état, which literally means “stroke of state” in French. Due to its French origin, the final p is not pronounced, making the word sound identical to the word coo.https://twitter.com/SenWarren/status/1346947575975272448https://twitter.com/MaryLTrump/status/1346963110041505794https://twitter.com/RepPressley/status/1346937329928302593